8(a) Certification Services
Sams Contracting Consulting and Training provides 8(a) certification application consulting assistance to help small, minority and women owned businesses obtain the SBA’s 8(a) certification.
8(a)Program Overview
The SBA’s 8(a) program is a 9-year program designed to assist companies in their ability to compete for federal contracts where the majority owner(s) are both socially and economically disadvantaged. Participation in the program is divided into two phases over nine years: a four-year developmental stage and a five-year transition stage. In addition, 8(a) participants may take advantage of specialized business training, counseling, marketing assistance, and high-level executive development provided by the SBA and their various resource partners. 8(a) firms can also be eligible for assistance in obtaining access to surplus government property and supplies, SBA-guaranteed loans, and bonding assistance for being involved in the 8(a)program.
8(a) Program Benefits
*Ability to compete for those opportunities that are set-aside for 8(a) certified firms only.
*Ability to enter into the SBA’s Mentor-Protege Program to be mentored by a more established company that can also serve as your joint venture partner to pursue larger opportunities.
*Ability to receive sole source awards up to $4,000,000.
8(a) Mentor Protege Program
The Mentor-Protege component of the 8(a) program affords your firm the opportunity to joint venture with a large or more established business who can serve as your mentor, which will allow you to compete for even larger and more complex solicitations where you can combine the resources, qualifications, and past performance references of both firms in the proposal in order to be more competitive.
8(a) Qualification Requirements
*Majority owner(s) must be socially disadvantaged based on ethnicity (minorities), gender (female), etc.
*Majority owner(s) must be economically disadvantaged, meaning they possess a net-worth that does not exceed $850,000 (or $1.7k if married in a community property state). This calculation excludes equity in the primary residence, equity in retirement accounts, and equity in the business. The SBA will presume that an individual is not economically disadvantaged if their adjusted gross income averaged over the three preceding years exceeds $400,000.
* Company must be established as a for-profit entity, and must be classified as a small business.
*The company can not have previously been approved and accepted into the 8(a) program.
*The majority owner(s) can not have previously been the majority owner of a previously 8(a) certified company (where they were the individual of which the qualification of being socially disadvantaged and economically disadvantaged was based on).
*Must be in business for a minimum of two years and can show at least two years of annual taxes returns. It is recommended that the business show two consecutive years of profitability prior to the year of application, and have generated at least $100,000 in revenue in the most recent tax year.
*Majority owner(s) must be able to show experience/education in the company’s industry in order to manage and control the firm.
*Majority owner(s) must possess the license/certification required to operate the business if required (i.e. electrical license, etc.).
*It is recommend that the majority owner(s) devote full time to the business and not have outside employment (should not be employed by another company in the same industry).
*It is recommended that no more than 70% of the company’s income be derived from one non-governmental customer in order to show economic independence.
*Majority owner(s) and the company must not have delinquent federal taxes, or at least be able to show that a payment plan with the IRS has been established.
*It is recommended that the majority owner(s) not have filed bankruptcy in the past 7 years.
*It is recommended that the majority owner(s) not have been recently arrested and convicted of a felony.
*If the majority owner(s) own other businesses, those businesses will be deemed as “affiliated companies.” When the revenue amounts and number of employees of these other businesses are added to the amount of revenue and number of employees of the firm applying for the 8(a) program, the revenue amounts and the number of employees must not exceed the size standard of the applicant firm’s primary NAICS code.
8(a) Application Supporting Documents
Batch #1
*Copies of any licenses required to do business (electrician’s license, plumber’s license, engineers license)Owner(s)’
*Resume (for all owners)
*Organizational Chart
*1 Page summary regarding the company reflecting when the company was started, the owners of the company, the company’s capabilities (products and/or services sold), and a description of the firm’s customers (i.e. capabilities statemenet)
Batch #2
*List of contracts for past two years consisting of contract number, customer name, contract value, NAICS Code, etc.
*Loan paperwork (if you’ve received a SBA loan or line of credit)
*Signature card from bank
*Any information or documentation related to arrests or criminal charges
*Birth certificate or unexpired passport (for all owners)
*Transmutation agreement (if owners are married in a community property state)
Batch #3
*Company Organizational Documents Based On Organizational Structure:
—LLCs: Certificate of Formation, Operating Agreement and All Amendments.
—Corporations: Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws and All Amendments, All Cancelled and Current Stock Certificates, Stock Certificates, Stock Ledger, Meeting Minutes for the Past 3 Years.
*Must include current franchise account status certificate from Secretary of State
Batch #4
*Personal financial statement for all owners and spouses (using SBA form)
Batch #5
*3 Years of Business Tax Returns and all W2s and 1099s
*3 Years of personal Tax Returns (all owners) and all W2s and 1099s
*3 Years of financial statements (profit and loss and balance sheets)
*YTD current profit and loss statement (within the past 60 days)
*Current Aging Accounts Receiving/Accounts Payable Report
*Business lease agreement
*If the owners own other companies as well, please provide the last three years of tax returns, W2s and 1099s for each
Offered 8(a) Certification Support Services
- 8(a) Initial Review: $975
- Subsequent Reviews:$375
*Initial 8(a) Application Only: $4,000
- —$2,000 due upon execution of the agreement
- —$2,000 due upon submission of the initial offer
*$750 for Social/Economic Disadvantage Narrative (If Needed)
*$550 Per Clarification Response Letters (If Needed)
*$950 for 1010c Business Plan Development (After Award of Certification)
8(a) Turnkey Application Support: $6,000
- $2,000 upon execution
- $2,000 upon submission
- $2,000 upon award
*Includes Social & Economic Disadvantage Narrative
*Includes All Required 8(a) Clarification Response Letters
*Includes 1010c Business Plan After Approval
8(a) Annual Review Completion: $950
Rate Sheet & Consulting Agreement
LET'S DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP!
I would be very interested in speaking or meeting with you to discuss how I can assist you in the areas of real estate, insurance, business consulting, or government contracting support. Feel free to either send me an email at [email protected], or call me at (210) 788-1034, and I would be more than glad to schedule a face to face meeting or phone conversation accordingly. I hope this helps, and I look forward to speaking with you soon!